Fulfilling the Promise of Microbiomics to Revolutionize Medicine.

Microbiome studies have led to surprising discoveries, such as the role of the microbial flora in promoting or preventing obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic rhinosinusitis, skin diseases, and many other diseases [2-6]. The American Gut Project (americangut.org) has analyzed the fecal flora of over 3,000 volunteers. This project has revealed that a person’s diet, age, exercise level, and alcohol consumption influence microbiome composition and diversity. Each individual harbors his or her own unique microbiome; however, some patterns have emerged. The microbiomes of diseased individuals often differ from those of healthy individuals. Pathological alterations are termed “dysbiosis”.